ABSTRACT
The property stewardship narrative identifi es the confl ict in the digital copyright debate as one of victimized businesses versus predatory technology developers and their opportunistic consumers. According to this story, the U.S. system of copyright law protects the interests of content owners from those who would otherwise exploit their works through unauthorized reproduction and distribution. Such protections are necessary because they protect the role of content owners-including the movie and music industry producers and publishers-as stewards of intellectual property, who secure for creators economic rewards for their efforts. According to this narrative, organizations such as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) play the vital role of stewards who manage and sustain the market value of intellectual property for creators. A confl ict arises with the introduction of digital technologies like peer-to-peer fi le sharing technologies, which threaten this established management system by enabling consumers to bypass the property stewards and exchange, reproduce, and distribute content directly with one another on a large scale. In order to restore the proper, fair state of copyright, property stewards are essential for protecting artists from exploitation and ensuring that creators get paid for their contributions. And according to the property stewardship narrative, the best way to maintain
this steady state is to regulate digital technology itself, which threatens to disrupt the current business model for cultural production.
